On this day in 1818, the Illinois Territory was admitted to the Union as the 21st state, the State of Illinois. Statehood was controversial as the required population was not met and there was dispute over the northern border of the boundary. 1

In 1918 on this day, Florida ratified the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, banning the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. Also on this day in 1962, New Jersey ratified the 24th Amendment to the Constitution, ending the poll tax. 2

One notable birthday on this day in history in 1755, that of Gilbert Stuart, American portraitist from Rhode Island. Gilbert was a prolific artist, creating over 1,100 portraits, six of them portraits of U.S. Presidents. Stuart studied under Scottish portraitist Cosmo Alexander, accompanying him to Scotland and studying at University of Glasgow and later in London under the tutelage of Benjamin West, where he remained for nearly two decades. After returning to America, Stuart had several studios. One of the most famous of Stuart’s paintings is known as The Athenaeum Portrait, an unfinished painting of George Washington. This is the image seen on the dollar bill. 3